Technical Guidance

Materials with which we manufacture our pallets, crates and containers

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Range of materials (Originals, Standard, Virgin, Others)

Here at Naeco we are convinced that the best material is the one whose performance is the most efficient for a given application. Nowadays, we must not only think about the mechanical performance of the material but also its environmental impact. Committing to sustainable materials allows companies committed to the environment to comply with corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies, to commit to sustainable development goals (SDGs) and to adapt to one of the main demands of society. So, depending on the desired objectives, it is possible to select between several options and lines of material.
The range of materials we have available for our products consists of:

  • Originals (Recommended): Materials developed exclusively by our Naeco Research department which combine good mechanical performance with the highest degree of sustainability in the industry as they are certified by Recyclass UNE EN 15343. This certification recognises the monitoring of good manufacturing and waste management practices, in addition to ensuring traceability, quality control and safety in the use of certified recycled plastic materials. As the material complies with the principles of the controlled chain of custody model as defined in the ISO 22095 standard, it is also possible to certify the final product with regard to the recycled plastic content.

    RecyClass Logo
      • cPP-E:This is the material we use in our products with Recyclass product certification. It consists of polypropylene (PP) from post-consumer recycling of yellow container packaging. This material can be recognised as it is grey, although we can make black or other colours upon request. (Limited colours).

      • cPP-XX / cPE-XX:These PP or HDPE compounds are used when the aim is to alter a specific property such as colour, impact strength etc. thanks to the mixture of a recycled base material with other additives. This mixture is known by the formulation name and it is achieved by mixing.

      • cPP-T20:Polypropylene with a talc load. Talc is a very common material for modifying the behaviour of a base polymer. It is often used to improve stiffness, to reduce shrinkage or to improve the appearance of the final product. The reference number usually indicates the % of talc used in the mixture.

      • Custom:Thanks to our own recycling process and the high specialisation of our Naeco Research team, we have the ability to formulate and produce specific materials which are adapted to the needs of our clients. We develop custom materials for large volume projects which are both PP and HDPE based. Contact us for further information.

    We can distinguish these materials in the material reference because they begin with the lower-case letter c (Compound/Certificate). Examples: cPP-E, cPP-EM…

  • Standard: These are materials of recycled origin, both post-industrial and post-consumer, commonly available in the plastic recycling sector. They are medium quality and sustainable materials, although their recycling process is not transparent nor is their traceability verified. These materials are the most used option in the sector for the production of plastic pallets. The usual colour is black or dark grey, although other colours can be found in limited quantities and on demand (availability subject to market).

      • rPP: Recycled Polypropylene (PP) is the most common option due to the benefits of this material and its high availability. Polypropylene is one of the lightest and most common plastics available, making it the perfect material for use in plastic pallets. It is a material with an optimal balance between stiffness and strength.

      • rHDPE: Recycled High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is a material very similar to Polypropylene, but with better impact performance, making it a more durable material. However, to achieve this characteristic, a little stiffness is lost and therefore deformations are increased, and the final weight of the pallet is increased due to its greater density. rHDPE is the recommended option for very hostile environments, as well as for freezing environments due to its better performance at low temperatures.

    We can distinguish these materials in the material reference as they start with the lower-case letter r (Recycled). Examples: rPP, rHDPE…

  • Virgin: Sometimes, due to the application or customer requirements, it is necessary to use virgin materials from petrochemicals. This is the default option when the material is required to be suitable for food contact, making it ideal for our hygienic pallets, boxes and containers. The colour of our solutions with virgin materials may be selected by the end customer upon request.

      • PP: Polypropylene is the recommended option for all the pallets in our catalogue due to its extraordinary stiffness and impact strength ratio. Polypropylene is one of the lightest and most common plastic options available, making it the perfect material for use in plastic pallets.

      • HDPE: High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is a material which is very similar to Polypropylene, but with a better impact performance, making it a more durable material. However, to achieve this characteristic, a little stiffness is lost and hence deformations are increased and the final weight of the pallet increases due to its greater density. rHDPE is the recommended option for very hostile environments, as well as for freezing environments due to its better performance at low temperatures. HDPE is the recommended option for the entire range of boxes and containers, as well as the range of hygienic pallets.

    We can distinguish these materials in the reference because they do not have any letter before the material reference. Examples: PP 8025, PE 4550…

  • Others: Additionally, there are other less common types of plastics which we can also use in the manufacturing of our products when the customer's requirements so demand:
      • ESD: An ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) plastic material is a type of plastic designed to dissipate static electricity in a controlled manner. These materials are used in applications where it is crucial to prevent the build-up of static charges which could damage sensitive electronic components or pose a risk of electrical shock.

        These are the default materials in our ESD range and they can be distinguished because our products are marked with the ESD Protected Area – EPA symbol. We have different degrees of ESD protection depending on the customer's needs (conductive, dissipative). Get in touch with us for further information.


        In our case, we usually work with ESD materials based on polypropylene (PP) and the colour of the material is black due to the additives used in its production. We also have an ESD range produced at Naeco Recycling from recycled materials.
        • Fire-retardant: A fire-retardant plastic, also known as fire-resistant or flame-retardant plastic, is a type of plastic that has been modified to reduce its inflammability and its capacity to spread fire. Although it is a real alternative for many plastic applications, it is very unusual to use these materials in the production of plastic pallets, boxes and containers mainly owing to their high cost, as well as the loss of mechanical properties generated by the additives to be deployed.

          There are different grades of material depending on the level of resistance to the spread of fire. Do not hesitate to contact us for further information.

Virgin Material vs Recycled Material

Virgin materials thermoplastic polymers produced by petrochemical companies (generally multinational companies) which dominate the manufacturing chain of the necessary sub-raw materials necessary for production, like petroleum ethylene, etc. For this reason, this is a highly atomized market with few, very large and powerful players.

On the contrary, a recycled material is a thermoplastic polymer obtained from recycling certain plastic products originally manufactured with new or recycled materials. These materials are processed by recycling companies, usually much smaller than the petrochemical companies.

For manufacturing a virgin material, the manufacturer always uses the same formulation, with controlled elements; for this reason, the product is homogeneous over time and has a technical data sheet with certain established values and mechanical behaviour. This means that the manufacturer knows the elements of which the material is made. Likewise, the manufacturer has exhaustive quality controls to ensure product stability.

On the other side, a recycled material is generally made of the blend of different plastic pieces, produced with different grades of the same polymer. Therefore, recycled material is the result of a mix of polymers, with varying properties, because of different proportions of the materials being recycled. To control these variations and ensure that the properties comply with the pallet requirements, Naeco has an in-house plastic characterization lab allowing us establishing the necessary quality controls.

For this reason, the main difference between both materials is that virgin material has homogenous and known characteristics, while recycled material is heterogeneous and unknown. However, thanks to today´s existing recycling technology, handling recycled materials to achieve high quality results is possible.

Food Use

The Food Use Certification is a property of the pallet, the crate or container coming from the materials used in its production. In order to obtain such certification, it is necessary for the manufacturer of said material to issue a document approved by a certifying body such as the US FDA accrediting said property. This certification consists of the guarantee that the material can be in direct contact with food for an indefinite period without this having any effect on said food. This certification is the one that has to fulfill for example a bottle that will contain water destined for its commercialization.

A priori, a pallet is an element of tertiary packaging that is in contact with the ground and which carries other types of packaging elements which in turn contain the products transported. Therefore, for most applications it is not essential that pallets comply with the Food Use Certification. However, certain applications such as pallets for "White Rooms", our crates or containers require this certification for which it is indispensable to use virgin (new) materials mainly due to the impossibility of a recycler to issue a certificate of recycled material because he ignores the internal composition of the materials processed.

This does not mean that the recycled materials are not suitable for Food Use, but most of them (except in special cases) lack such certification. It is important to note that traditional wooden pallets do not have these certifications or equivalents.

Use in freezer environments

Certain goods, especially on the food sector, are transported throughout the whole distribution chain, in frozen environments. In this kind of environments, the use of pallets, crates and containers of plastic is of great interest, because they do not change their weight or size because of moisture, they are waterproof odourless and can be washed

However, not all plastic materials are adequate for application at -20º C or less. At Naeco, we recommend the use of rHDPE (High Density Polyethylene) given its good performance to impacts in applications at very low temperatures. With the use of rHDPE the addition of no other product is needed to allow the durable use of the pallet in this kind of environments.